Effective Ways To Ask Your Child

I can tell that they are bored hearing these words from mommy. They are so used to hearing it on and on and will only limit their answers to “fine” or “okay.” This afternoon, I tried a different approach.

You are free to imagine my exaggerated face. Plus my exaggerated tone. It made them feel I’m really interested in what they were up to when they were away from me. The result was overwhelming. You will get what I mean as you read along. But first things first, here are the effective ways to ask your child:

The hunch:

I am guessing you had an interesting day today…

The Intrigue:

You think you had a good time with your friends today? (whispering) Can you tell me more?

How about Ashley (name her best friend), you think she had fun playing with you too?

The specific:

What was your favorite activity that you did in school today?

The “when I was a kid like you” method (it will get them to talk, promise)

Back in the days when I was small, I remembered I was pretty scared taking my test. How about you, did you feel the same way when you had your test in Math?

I remembered the time when I was in Primary 2, there was this big kid that I was so afraid of. Did you ever experience that?

Kids tend to engage more with these interesting questions because they can relate with it easier. Be more attentive when asking them, but be patient and don’t stress them out when they can’t find words to say. Just sit down with them and enjoy their company. Be more creative but specific. You might also find it effective when you whisper to them while asking these kinds of questions. You can only get them to talk when you talk.

So here’s what happened earlier.

I sat down with them on the dining table and uttered a hunch. “I think all of you had an interesting day today…”

The first to respond was Ethan.

“I told M___ not to kiss me anymore.”

Ooookay.

Zack was teasing.

“Me I don’t have a girlfriend yet.”

Sofie changed the subject.

“We said bad words in our class today.” (Watch out for my post about this)

But after hearing all of these, I think I’m going to have a heart attack too. And so be ready.

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